


Waiting In The Wings Part III

by Archer_Willows



Series: Waiting In The Wings [3]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Afterlife, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-24 00:53:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30064155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archer_Willows/pseuds/Archer_Willows
Summary: The aftermath.
Series: Waiting In The Wings [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2207082





	Waiting In The Wings Part III

**Elizabeth awoke** on cold stone. Her eyes flew open, breathing heavily. Quick as a flash, she sat up, scanning her surroundings like a cornered animal. She was in a tunnel, underground, giving by the feel of the air. She was alone. Her breathing slowed. Elizabeth relaxed, trying to remember what she last saw.

An image of a knife ripping through flesh pierced her mind. Her eyes widened.

She looked down at her chest. She was still wearing the suit. She studied it closely. At the abdomen, the purple of the clothing was stained dark red. A small hole, the side of a knife blade covered her gut. The skin itself, was unscathed.

Elizabeth stood up slowly. She racked her brain, recalling the past moments.

The knife flashed through her mind again. She winced as she watched it tear through her gut. 

Somehow, she had survived. But where was she? And how did she survive?

A close sound made her jump. She was no longer alone.

An old man hobbled by her. He looked at her and nodded. “Tragedy, it is. Always so young,” he said to her.

He walked over to the end of the tunnel. “Where are you going?” Elizabeth asked him.

“Same place we all go, in the end,” he replied sadly. “Did you get to say goodbye, at least?”

Elizabeth didn’t know what to say, so she nodded. 

“Good, good,” the old man breathed. “It’ll be so good to see Jen again.”

A train sounded in the distance. It slowed by them, even though there were no tracks or tickets. It simply stopped for them.

“This is us,” he said. “I’m Kyle, by the way.”

“Elizabeth,” she said. 

She had a bad feeling. As if in a trance, she entered the train with the man. There were others inside. Old, young, and all were stuffed inside, complaining to the others. 

“I told you the ice wasn’t thick enough…”

“I swear, the light was green.”

“I heard the alarm sound, and then the man showed up.”

The bad feeling was back. She turned to Kyle.

“I’m sorry, but… are you dead?” she asked him.

He looked surprised, as if she’d asked something obvious. “Of course,” he said, “Aren’t you?”

The doors closed and the train started to move.

Elizabeth began to panic. What did he mean? If she was dead, why was she here? What was this train? What happened after she was stabbed?

She had so many questions, she didn’t notice train had stopped.

“I guess this is my stop,” She said, feeling a pull to the door.”

“Don’t worry,” Kyle said, “It’s going to be perfect.”

She frowned. “How would you know?”

She smiled. “Do you know anyone who’s ever come back?”

And with that, she got off the train.

She turned around. There was no sign the train had ever existed.

The land around was a vast desert. Giant rolling sand dunes and cacti surrounded her in every direction. It wasn’t hot, nor cold. It was nighttime, and the stars looked odd, like giant balls of energy exploding in the sky.

Off in the distance, she saw water. Elizabeth realized how parched she was. She took off towards the source.

When she reached it, her jaw dropped. 

A massive oasis, an endless sea of grass and water, trees and wildlife replaced the harsh desert. A cabin stood, with a crackling firepit outside. Somehow, she knew it was hers. She walked inside.

It was homely, small, but everything she ever needed. It seemed to change and evolve to suit her desires as she looked at it. 

_ This  _ was paradise. Everything she wanted was possible.

“Where am I?” she found herself asking aloud.

“Welcome to Kurnugi,” a voice called out, “The afterlife. Paradise.”


End file.
